Southern Polytechnic State University Top Questions

In my college experience I have learned that it was better to change my major when I found it to be of little interest to me than to invest the time and money into it. I have been in college for nine years now and still on my way to a Bachelor?s degree. I am able to appreciate the new knowledge I gain with each class I take and apply the eagerness to learn in my professional environment as well.

I have been attending DCAD for two years and so far i have gotten a lot out of the school. I have realized the skills necessary to move up in the field of work i want to persue among problem sloving skills and people skills. this has helped me get my feet wet to going into the real world. Coming out of this i have more college classes and lessons under my belt and all of them have shaped me to who iu want to be in this world.

College has taught me alot about how people from very diverse cultures can come together and interact freely. It doesn't matter where you came from, if you need to work together there is a way that it will become possible. All you have to do is look and cooperate. College has taught me that no matter what you encounter in life there is a solution for it, you just have to find it.

I have learned that I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to. I continued to complete my degree even though I felt that I was not getting the support academically that I deserved. They required a set of "unannounced" incoming expectations were outrageous as far as the program knowledge was concerned. For example, they would modify courses: if there was an entry level course and upperclassmen were taking it just to get a good grade because they knew the material, they would leave the basics out of it and run the course as an advanced course. You were just left out to tread water or drown (fail). Attending college was an eye opener into the real world. You are your own advacote in life and you have to fight for what you deserve. Success is hard work, it is not handed to you on a silver spoon. In this regard, learning this life lesson, I feel that all the money spent on my education has been worth it. Despite the fact that now the ecomony is down and no one has job in this field and everyone who had a job doesn't anymore. That's life!~!

Time, money, and resource management would be three topics to stress to my ?high school self.? Although, as a graduate, I felt prepared for college, completing the IB program, making good grades, applying for HOPE, etc., a journey still awaited. I soon realized no matter how prepared I was, nothing sufficed. "The biggest room is the one for improvement"(unknown); I had multiple improvements! Time management/prioritizing has been my utmost challenge; from getting up early for class, to not procrastinating, to going to bed early! College was more than studying about computers/history, I was now responsible for juggling events, bills, and studies. Another struggle, money management, has proven difficult because of unexpected expenses beyond what HOPE scholarships covered. Knowing this now, to prevent the burden of educational loans, I would have strongly advised myself to research scholarship opportunities earlier. Resource management, with regards to critical details about the school, staff, students, and getting the "inside scoop,? prior to arrival is vital in college transition. Enlightening myself about "ratemyprofessors.com" would have enabled me to strategically position myself to obtain Southern Poly?s best teachers. Learning about available resources takes time, but the wisdom gained is priceless.

If I could go back and give some advice to myself I would say many things. I would tell myself to take AP classes as they are very important and could reduce college costs. Taking AP classes gives you college credit and saves you a semester of class. Another piece of advice I would give myself is to start searching for scholarships. Some scholarships require you to do some work such as write an essay but in the end they are worth it. You will be doing yourself a big favor in applying for these and will not have to apply for loans like you had to. Apply to any scholarship there is and do the essay because if you win one or two, they will slowly add up you might not have to pay a dime for school. One other thing I would tell myself is to not slack off. Yes, it is your senior but finish strong. If you finish with good grades you would have qualified for the HOPE Scholarship which would have paid for tuition. Take AP classes, search for scholarships and get good grades your senior year because you will doing yourself a big help.

I have never been the type to start things and not finish them. It is a place where most can show off and shine. "Knowledge is the key, knowledge is power", that is the only thing that keeps playing over and over in my mind. I believe that if you have the knowledge, you can not be overpowered nor put down without your permission. You are the only one who can keep you down. I would tell myself to appreciate and take advantage of all and any oppertunity that comes my way. You never know who you will run across that may help you get alone the bridge that's in front of you. I would have stayed a little more focused, I wouldn't have had to build a state of concentration starting now

On the note of the transition to college, there is nothing I could presumably "warn" myself about if I were able to go back in time; however, there is one thing of utmost importance that I would say which is to, "do what makes you happy." I originally started as an architecture major but didn't have the money, time or heart for it so I changed majors with out much consideration. Of course making a big decision like that in a shot amount of time is risky, and I ended up despizing the feild of civil engineering. It was then that someone gave me that same peice of advise, and now I plan on majoring in American history, but I'm attending and engineering university so I am currentley working on transferring to a new college. If I had just done what I love in the first place I would never have had that problem, and would be closer to graduating right now.

If I had the opportunity of lecturing myself as a high school senior, I would encourage myself to take the SAT over or take the ACT. The reason for this is because of a Regents test that I had to take first semester. And I believe that if I would have taken the SAT again, I would have exempted the test, or at least been better prepared.

College is alot different form highschool. You have to put in alot more hours of studying and reading. Less time to have fun with friends more time to better your career.